STAGNANT IMAGE PERCEPTIONS

And image does seem to be the problem. Walk into most pubs and you’ll still be confronted with a pretty standard range, from Strongbow on the taps, to Rekorderlig in the back-bar. Where is the excitement? In a way quite unlike spirits or beer, cider seems to have stood entirely still when it comes to revamping and reinventing itself for a new audience.

And that may be because its volumes have remained fairly comfortable. In its latest cider report released just last week, cider producer Westons revealed that total cider volumes had grown 5.7% in 2022 vs 2021 (though you need to account for some lockdown weirdness there) to 705 million litres, and is now worth £2.95 billion, increasing in value by 27%. So, it may look like things are rosy.

But some of the faddier trends are dying down. And when it comes to looking for inspiration, they’re following not leading. Last year’s launch of a Blood Orange variant by Thatcher’s, with its bright orange liquid, was a clear play for the spritz market. That’s been a success, but where is the excitement and genuine innovation?

Lacking Disruption

It’s fair to say what the category is lacking – what it has lacked for some time now – is some genuine disruption and a little excitement. And that may be a symptom of the category being largely owned by just a few major players. From Molson Coors to Heineken, most of the major brands belong to just a handful of producers. So for them, what is the incentive to – excuse the pun –rock the apple cart?

What cider will find though if it continues to stay still, is that its younger customers will age with brands and recruiting new ones will become ever harder. LDA drinkers need approachable flavours, sure. And increasingly, they need something that isn’t going to break the bank. Here cider wins. But image and visuals are more important than ever before and you could argue that there isn’t anything aspirational about a cider.

There certainly isn’t anything cool about the staid and cluttered packaging of most ciders either. For image conscious consumers that like the taste of cider, but are shopping visually, there’s few places for them to go. Add to this, cider doesn’t fit in younger drinker’s lifestyles the way it used to either. Many are sugar and calorie averse and here, cider isn’t the obvious option.

So, it’s an open goal. The opportunity is there for a brand to launch a cider that’s genuinely relevant to a new generation. Who is going to be the one to take a shot?